The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to the field of manufacturing performance monitoring and assurance. In a manufacturing process, productivity is directly impacted by the amount of time spent on a particular operation. In an assembly line environment the majority of operational time is clearly defined. Work that needs to be completed has little variation from product to product, such as stations for sanding and polishing defects in paint.
At such stations, operational time is undetermined, since each job is uniquely performed on a “case by case” basis. It has thus proven difficult to quantify the amount of time needed to perform such operations. It has further been observed that undefined work intervals invite low performance on the part of workers, which can also have a detrimental effect of productivity efficiency.
In order to improve efficiency, it has been contemplated to perform time studies to determine suitable lengths for these operations, e.g. for sanding and polishing scuff marks on paint. In one time study, observations were made using a stopwatch from alongside the line. In some instances, the process durations were very short, making it difficult to obtain accurate timings. In a sanding or buffing operation, the processing time can vary in accordance with a number of variables. For example, the polishing interval can vary based on: color of the applied paint; the depth of the scuff; personal polishing technique; the amount of rubbing compound applied; saturation of the pad with rubbing compound; and the state of the polishing pad, i.e. whether the pad is new, recently washed or heavily worn. It was also concluded that when manufacturing personnel are being observed, they might perform their operations differently than under normal unobserved operating conditions. Also, manual time measurement can be a subjective approach prone to human error. The above factors notwithstanding, it is generally concluded that productive work is directly related to the actual operation of the tool. However, there has not been a suitable method and apparatus for quantifying the time spent in these types of operations, or for comparing the time with the quality of the end-product.